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Utilization of bonga (Ethmalosa fimbriata) in West Africa.

Year of publication 1994

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 28

Author Jallow, A.M.

Product type Book (series)

Series title FAO Fisheries Circular

Series number 0429-9329 - C870

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Small-scale fisheries account for about 90 percent of the total fish catch in West Africa. Small pelagics, including the bonga (Ethmalosa fimbriata), contribute a significant part of this catch. Improper handling, poor preservation, lack of proper storage, distribution and marketing facilities cause post-harvest fishery losses of up to 40 percent.Reducing the losses has created a very active processing industry in the sub-region. The addition of the processed products to the fresh products has p rovided consumers with a variety of products that illustrate the variation in fish utilization. The bonga, a popular fish species in West Africa, is utilized in various forms that are of interest to artisanal fisheries development in the sub-region. It is utilized in the fresh, salted and dried, and smoked and dried forms. Of all the bonga processing techniques, hot-smoking is the most popular in West Africa. It is developed by processors around the traditional open and closed banda, the groun d roasting, the "parpaing" oven, the "Fante" banda, the Chorkor oven, and the modified Chorkor oven techniques. Ice for fresh bonga and stronger, more durable drying racks are being introduced in the fresh and salted, and dried product sectors respectively. Meanwhile, a lot more is being done on the development of technology for the production of smoked and dried bonga. The modified Chorkor oven method has been identified, among the numerous techniques, as the most suitable for bonga smoking. It is cheap, efficient, and sustainable in the long-term for the production of cheap, good quality smoked and dried bonga. Fresh bonga is consumed in urban areas while the salted and dried, and smoked products have a large market in the rural communities. These processed products are marketed inland and exported to major markets in Guinea and some neighbouring states. In spite of the huge potential, marketing is hindered by transport, credit, and customs levies between states. The promotion of improved bonga utilization in the sub-region requires the dissemination of relevant information on appropriate preservation technology, the training of extension agents on the use of such technology, access to market information, facilitation of the movement of the various products within countries and within the sub-region.

Cite this content as:

Jallow, A.M., Utilization of bonga (Ethmalosa fimbriata) in West Africa. FAO Fisheries Circular No. 870. Rome, FAO. 1994. 28p.

Language English

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